Bahrain opposition right to boycott talks: Analyst

A political analyst has hailed the Bahraini oppositionâ€™s boycott of talks with the Manama government, urging the kingdom to respond to serious political demands, Press TV reports.

â€œPerhaps that was the most logical, most rational, most sought-after decision on the part of the opposition in Bahrain,â€

said Nabil Mikhail, professor of George Washington University.

Main Bahraini opposition groups boycotted the countryâ€™s national reconciliation talks after Khalil al-Marzooq, a top opposition figure, was arrested over his recent anti-regime remarks.

The coalition of five groups, including the main opposition party al-Wefaq, said on Wednesday that it has suspended its participation in the talks until further notice.

Mikhail said that the Bahraini opposition could not be ignored or neglected as there was â€œlegitimacyâ€ for them, adding that it is time to respond to their demands to help reach a consensus through dialog.

â€œSo, it's better really to respond to the demands and make changes in the structure of the system of government because this will be better for all of the Bahrainis,â€ he said.

Numerous rounds of talks have failed to heal the rifts between the opposition and the Manama regime since the beginning of anti-regime protests in Bahrain.

The first round of talks, which were held in July 2011, collapsed after the opposition walked away from the talks, saying they were not carried out fairly.

Bahrainis have been staging demonstrations since mid-February 2011, calling for political reforms and a constitutional monarchy, a demand that later changed to an outright call for the ouster of the ruling Al Khalifa family following its brutal crackdown on popular protests.

Scores have been killed, many of them under torture while in custody, and thousands more detained since the popular uprising in the Persian Gulf kingdom.

Protesters say they will continue holding anti-regime demonstrations until their demand for the establishment of a democratically-elected government and an end to rights violations are met.